Draft and buffing gear.



w. F. memos e; n. c. DAVIS.

DRAFT AND BUF-FING GEAR.' PPucmoN msn AuG.2,19\45.

Patented Feb. 25,1919'.

l L M n n i ve/7275s afina/L7..

si Aras PAEN WILLARD r. RICHARDS, or DEPEW, AND DONALD c. Davis,`orjnurrnno, New Yoan, AssIGNoRs To eoULD coUPLEn co., or NEW YORK, NY.

`Dimmi* AND BUrFING GEAR.

To all whom 'it may concern: y

` Be it known 'that we, WILLARD F.' RICH- ARDs and DONALD C. DAVIS,citizens of the United States, residing 'at Depew and' Buf.- falo,respectively, in the vcounty "of `Erie'and State of New York, haveinvented a: new

- and useful Improvement inv Draft and Buii'- ing Gears, of which thefollowing isa specilication.

This invention relates to that type of friction draft andy bufiing gearsfor" railwayrollingy stock .in which the friction that re-Siststhe'movement of the drawbar ormov-A ab-l'e element is produced lfbyfriction.,v or

wedge blocks havinginclined friction faces which are movable against`relatively .sta-

'tionary coperating friction -faces with which they are held infrictional Icontact byspring pressure. lt is possihle'te secure ,verygreat capacity in such `friction draft and buiing gears but rwhere thefriction elements are organized to produce great resista-- ance, verystrong springs are'necessary i'yo'i-r-vv lease or return the frictionalelements 'to their normal position, and coil springs areV not ordinarilyfeasible for this .purpose l :where itis desired to secure a long,travel .iso

' of the-drawbar or movable element, While a long travel of the drawbaror movable'.v

element can be obtained| with one or more j ed to be forced lengthwiseinto the box or coil .release springs, the strength of 'thespring-is'not increased byincreasing Aits length and the availablefspacepossible for 'the release spring in thedraft and bufiing gear does notadmit of the use of springs of .largeenough 'diameter to `properlyrelease the friction lelements when the friction is.

very great. f

The QbjeCt-'Qf emmene@ is a', provide aneiiieient draftand 'bufling gearof simple, practical and inexpensive construction which vis adapted togive very great resist-y ance with la long travel ofthe drawbar o r'tion elements.

=m0valble clement but which will nevertheless insure the properVreleasing` ofthe fric- `is accomplished employing* in conjunction withYthe movable friction or plates or leaf springswhich are arranged inanovel .Ina-nner suh asto permit the reo'llired travel of titnjidrawbaror. -movable Specification of Letters Patent.. 4 Patented Fgb, 25 jigt.Ap'pn'eation sied. August 2, 1915.V serial N0..43,o5s.

element and produce the necessary power for releasing the frictionelements. `.In the accompanying drawings:

Figure l isa plan View partly in section of a draft land buiiing gearembodying the invention, showing the same in place beisprovided with theusual yoke or strap av :forconnecting` to the draft and buiiing gear.

. fvThe draft and bufling' gear comprises a ,bois or lcase C, arrangedbetween the draft sills and adapted to bear at one end against followerD which is movable relative to the box oncase C and is adapted to bearagainst fixed, stops or albutments d on the draft sills; friction orwedge blocks E which areadaptcase C by the movement of the follower D inone direction or by the movement of the box or' case. C .in the appositedirection; spring plates or leaf springs F which press 'the inclinedfaces of@ the wedge or friction blocks against coperating inclinedfriction `faces G in the box or ca C, and a release spring H whichis'contained in the bcX or 'case C and is adapted to move the frictionor wedge blocks outwardlyvor return them to theirnormal position.'V Thedraft and bu'- ing, gear with the exception ofy the constructionandarrangementfof the release spring,` may ofA known' construction.- Asshown, the friction 'or wedge blocl'rs E are arranged' 'with theirthickends' progecting out of the open end of thefbox or'case C andbearing against .the'followerlDz and with their .1nclined facesfacingoutwardly and bearing against vthe friction' faces G, which areformed atithe open end of thebox or case C, and convergeginwardly, thewedge blocks being pressed into.frictional contact with these facesby-.jmz'l-leaf springs, or sprmg 480 lix'ed stops or abutments c on thesills; a.

plates F which are arranged between the' wedge or friction blocks. Thefriction. or'

- end of the box or oase.' The. wedge .blocks i are also provided at theopposite edges of their inner end portions with longitudinal wedgeblocks 'are provided yat their inner ends with outwardly facinglipsor'anges e which are adapted to engage inwardly prof jectngshoulders ef in. the box or case at the inner ends of the friction faces.Ggfor retaining the wedge blocks in position inthe open strengthening.ribs '621 2; which occupy longitudinal grooves 1n the walls ofthe box orcase C at the opposite. edges of the Vfriction faces G. l The gearoperates inv a well knownzmanner.' When the. drawbar A ispulled1outwardly, the follower D is moyed by the lyolre.

' a and shoves the.`friction or wedgeblocks into the box or case, `whichis held stationary by the stops or abutments c, and the 1n;

clined friction faces G cause .the -friction` blocks to move towardeachfotheni-thuscompressing the interposed .y leaf Asprings \F. When thedraftl on the drawbar is released the -parts are returned to theirnormal posltion with the follower D against the stops or abutments d, bythe release springH, which exerts anoutward pressure .agalnst` the innerends of the friction or wedge blocks. When the drawbar is moved in. the

, opposite direction or inwardly in buffing,`

leaf springs arranged crosswise in the boxl the follower D is heldstationary against.

the stops or abutments d and the box or case C is forced inwardly towardthe follower by the drawbar which bears at its inner end -aga-inst theend of the box or v,case C, and

or case C with the springs 4of adjacent groups. arranged oppositely,that. is, with the concaved faces of the springs of oneg group facing inthe opposite direction from the corresponding faces of thespring platesin the next group. The groups of spring plates It are retained inposition in thebox.

or case C by retainers which are movable lengthwiseA in the box or caseC. As shown, there are five groups h of the release springs arranged ina single retainer I and'two double retainers K1. The single retainerIpreferably' consists of a substantially U- shaped metal piece or castinghavinga web or plate which extends crosswisel inv the .box..

or case C with its outer face bearing againstl 'the inner ends of thefrictionlhlocks E and by the release linsure t the interposed springs F,and end flanges 7c 'projectingfrom one side thereof between which thefirstgroup of springs 1s retalned by inwardly projecting lips k. on theend flanges-of the retainer. Each of the double retainers preferablyconsists of altI-shaped metal' piece or casting havinga web or platewhich-extends crosswse in the box or case parallel with the retainer Iand is provided at each end 'with flanges Z'which extend in oppositedirections from the web. Olne group of spring plates i's.retained/between the'end angesat each side of the retainer vby lips Z'on the end flanges. 4The convexed `side of the .group of spring platesin the single vretainer bears against the convexed side of the next`group of spring' plates in the first doubley retainer, while the groupsof plates between the two` d ouble retainers `bear againstreach other inasimilar manner A and the convexed side of thel last group of platesbearsagainst theclosed endof the and L are-preferably made with convexedp faces to prevent the spring plates 'from being strained so as tobecome set.

A.box or` case. -The 'webs of the4 retainers K r Maniifestly apairofpsingle retainers simila.;` to the retainer'I and arranged back tobaclr couldbe used in placeof the double reta1ne1's, but the doubleretainers are' preferred as they reduce the number of parts and-'occupyless space.. yThe retainers could be of any other suitable form adaptedto arranged groups in the box or case and pre` ventthe ends of one groupof plates 'from slipping3 by the ends of the 'next` group, as. would Iranged end to end without the retainers between them. The groups ofspring vplates can be easily arranged in the retainers be-wv e apt tohappen with/groups ar-- fore'the latter are placed in the box or c'ase Cand the Iretainers prevent the `springs from being assembled in thegear`incorrectly. 4By arranging the release spring plates in groups in themanner described, it,y

`retain the spring plates in the oppositely ioo is possible to obtain athree and'r one half f inch travel of the drawbar in a draft and buflinggear of .standard dimensions yand yetI A`e release of the frictionelements of a gear of three hundred thousand to three hundred andtwentyfive thousand pounds capacity.'

The spring plates of the release spring can be and preferably are of thesame dimensions as the'resistance spring plates F, v

thus lenabling all ofv thev spring'plates' of the gear tobe alike.y f lThis 4invention has beenJ4 described above `in connection with a'combined draft and' buiiing gear, `but the same releasespring-farrangement and the samev combination thereof with the lfrictionelements couldbe employed' in a gear used to resist either draft or bungstrains alone.A a

groups of spring with which they `ment, of a box, a friction block.adapted to ,be moved longitudinally in said boX by the movement yofsaid movable element, a

friction face in said box a srinn which presses said friction block andface into' contact for resisting the movement of said movable element,and means for. releasing said friction block comprising a pluralityl ofgroups of spring plates arranged crossvvise in said box with adjacentgroups facing in opposite directions and retainers which retain saidspring plates in said gro-ups and in said rela-tive arrangement andwhich extend c rosswise `in said box and are movable longitudinallytheiein.

2. The combination with a movable elelment, of a box, friction blocksadapted to be moved longitudinally in said box by the movement of saidmovable element, friction faces in said box which contactwith saidfriction blocks and ctiisethe blocks to move laterally toward eacliother, spring plates which are arrangedflengthwise between said frictionblocks and press said friction blocksl and faces ,into contact for.resisting the movement of said movable element, and means for-releasingsaid friction block, com` prising a plurality of groups of spring platesarranged crosswise in said box with adjacent groups facing in oppositedirections, and retainers whiclrretain said spring plates in said groupsand in said relative arrangement inthe boX.

3. The combination with a movable eleinentof cooperating frictionmembers onej of' which is adapted to be moved relative to the other. bythe movement'of said-movable element, a spring which presses saidfriction members into contact for resisting the A movement of saidmovable element, means foi-'returning the movable friction member tonormal position after movement thereof by said movable elementcomprising' a plurality of groups of spring plates, and relativelymovable retainers in vwhich said plates are contained and move.

i. The combination with a movable element, of coi'peratig frictionmembers one of which adapted to be moved relative to the other by the`iiiovement of said movable element, a spring which presses saidfriction members into contact for resisting the movement of said movableelement, meansfor returning the movable friction member to normalposition after movement thereof by said movable element comprising aplurality of groups of spring-plates, and relatively movable retainersfor the groups of spring plates which are provided With end iaiigesbetween which are held. l

The combination with a movable element, of cpperating friction membersone of which isadapted to be moved relative able element, a spring whichpresses said friction members into contact for resisting the movement ofsaid movable element, and means for releasing the movable frictionmember comprising a plurality of groups of spring plates, a U-shapedretainer in which one end group of spring plates is contained, and anI-shaped retainer in Which two adjacent groups of spring plates arecontained.

6. The combination with a movable element, of cooperating frictionmembers one 0f which is adapted to be moved relative to the otherbytli-e movement of said movable element, a springwhich presses saidfriction members into contact for resisting' the move- 'ment of saidmovable element, and means Witness our hands this 29 day of J lily,l1915. g 4

` lWILL'ARD' RICHARDS. DONALD C. DAVIS. Witnesseszi ALLENB. Biermann,Grenen E, HAMMOND.

and an the spring plates vto the other by the movement of said mov-

